1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods and mechanisms for suspending stirrups from horse saddles, varying the angle of stirrup treads to align a stirrup's tread with a rider's leg and foot, and supporting horse riders to sit comfortable in their saddles and place a rider's feet in an aligned position for decreased knee and ankle fatigue.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional western style stirrup is a device in the form of a generally U-shaped, flat-based loop suspended from each side of a horse's saddle to support a rider's foot in mounting and riding a horse. The stirrup's tread refers to the flat base at the bottom of the stirrup that supports the rider's foot. The stirrup's throat refers to the top area of the stirrup where a hanger rod or bolt typically connects the two sides of the stirrup and suspends the stirrup from a stirrup leather connected to the saddle. As will be apparent, the invention can replace or attach to the hanger rod or bolt of a conventional stirrup.
Typical types of stirrups include flat bottom stirrups, offset stirrups, and roper stirrups. Flat bottom stirrups are the most popular and offer a wide variety of options to choose from. Flat bottoms may typically measure 6 inches from pin to tread and come in a variety of tread widths, wood selections, and designs, and flat bottoms are really popular with many miners, ropers, and trail riders. Oxbow stirrups give plenty of exit room in the stirrup and come in various sizes. Offset stirrups are available to give increased tread depth. A pin may be off-centered to hang the stirrup at a slight angle, causing the rider's toes to lift and heels to drop to sit the rider deeper in the saddle, which in turn enhances better balance. Some stirrups offer a high impact rubber tread for people with ailing knees. Some very wide stirrups may have up to a 5 inch tread to provide support from toe to heel. Stirrups may have a base of 4-layer laminated oak that is fully wrapped in brass, copper, or monel (stainless steel) and finally polished to a high shine.
Stirrups may be available in four or more foot widths and a variety of tread widths. They may measure 5 inches in height with an inside dimension of 4¾ inches for a smaller size. A regular flat bottom stirrup may measure 6 inches from throat to tread with an inside width of 5⅛ inches and a variety of tread widths. Wide welt boots and thicker soles have grown the popularity of the oversize flat bottom stirrup, which may offer more width inside, measuring 5¾ inches at its widest part. An overshoe flat bottom stirrup may have the same 6 inch throat-to-tread measurement, but the inside width diameter may be 6 inches as well. A 1 inch flat bottom stirrup is considered a narrow tread width. A 2 inch flat bottom stirrup is the most popular because a 2 inch tread is a comfortable fit for the average size boot. A 3 inch tread width flat bottom is popular with many reiners, ropers, and trail riders.
The stirrup of a western style saddle has a tread that is mostly flat but may be curved at the sides to some degree. The sides or branches of the stirrup are typically wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, where they are joined by a hanger rod or bolt comprising a heavy dowel of wood or rod of metal. The stirrup leather typically loops under and around the wooden dowel or metal rod, and a keeper strap with a buckle typically wraps around the front and back of the stirrup leather to keep the stirrup in place. Western stirrups are generally made of leather-covered wood but may also be made of steel, aluminum, or even very strong fiber-reinforced plastic.
Western style stirrups are designed to parallel the use intended by the design of the saddle itself. A trail riding saddle will have a wide, comfortable stirrup; a saddle for saddle bronc riding will have a narrow tread, to avoid being easily lost by the rider. A saddle for barrel racing or reining may have stirrups of a medium width, narrow enough to not be lost when a horse is moving at high speed, but with enough width to remain comfortable for a few hours. Stirrups intended for western pleasure saddles may be highly ornamented with silver or other decorations.
It is important for a stirrup to be the correct width for a rider's boot. A stirrup that is too narrow will increase the chance that the boot will get caught in it (which would be very dangerous should the rider fall), and a too-wide stirrup makes it harder for a rider to keep it under foot, and presents some risk that the foot might slip all the way through. It is generally suggested that the stirrup be no more than 1 inch larger than the widest part of the sole of the rider's boot.
Contact of the boot sole and the stirrup tread is important for rider stability and control of a horse. With conventional western style saddles, the stirrup leathers are generally twisted about ninety degrees to orient the stirrups and rider's boots parallel to the longitudinal axis of the horse when the rider is positioned in the saddle. English style saddles typically use smaller stirrup leathers that are easier to twist. The twisting of the stirrup leathers, however, does not solve the problem of matching the angle of the stirrup tread relative to the angle of the leg and boot sole of at rider. When these angles do not match, the difference can place a strain on the rider's foot and leg, particularly the knee and ankle. This problem has been known for many years and there have been various attempts to solve it.
An early example of attempting to orient the stirrup tread at a desired angle is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 33,930 issued Dec. 17, 1861. Another early example is U.S. Pat. No. 38,995 issued Jun. 23, 1863. In around 1965, Edgar Stanley (“Pete”) Gorrell, a Master Saddle Maker, began placing wedges of leather on the stirrup tread of his custom made saddles to build up the tread at an angle to cant or incline the stirrup tread to make a crooked stirrup to help alleviate knee and hip problems with riders. This worked similar to orthotics in shoes. Canting the tread of the stirrup was done to alleviate knee pain by properly aligning the bones of the lower leg and ankle while riding. Pete Gorrell discussed his decade's old theory on the science of canting stirrups in a 2005 article in SHOP TALK! Magazine. At least as early as 1995, Stubben was making English style stirrups or irons with slanted rubber wedges that would make a crooked stirrup. A recent example of a canted stirrup is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,409 issued Nov. 25, 2003, which discloses an angle stirrup to orient the stirrup tread downward from the inner side of the stirrup to the outer side of the stirrup. The angle of the stirrup tread is not disclosed but the drawing shows the angle at about ten degrees from the horizontal. Another way of orienting stirrup tread at a desired angle is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,487,627 issued Feb. 10, 2009, which uses a stirrup support bar with diminishing thickness from one side to the other to position the stirrup tread at a horizontal attitude when a rider's boot is positioned therein. The angle of the stirrup tread is also not disclosed but the drawing shows the angle at about ten degrees from the horizontal.
Stirrups have also been designed so that the stirrup can pivot about a longitudinal axis relative to the longitudinal axis of a horse. An example is shown U.S. Pat. No. 169,209 issued Oct. 26, 1875. Another example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,532,082, issued Nov. 29, 1950, which discloses a general parallel upper pivot pin to the longitudinal axis of a horse and a lower pivot generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of a horse. Both of these stirrups do not have the stirrup leathers twisted and have the lower pivot pins connected directly to the stirrups and outside and below the stirrup leathers.
Not every person needs a stirrup that is oriented in one direction from the vertical. Instead of orienting the stirrup tread downward from the inner side of the stirrup to the outer side of the stirrup, some individuals will want the stirrup tread oriented upward from the inner side of the stirrup to the outer side of the stirrup. While one size may fit most, one size does not fit all.
It is an object of the invention to provide stirrups that can orient themselves to the most comfortable positions for a rider. It is another object of the invention to provide stirrups that can automatically orient themselves to the most comfortable position for each leg of a rider. It is another object of the invention to provide stirrups that can rotate about a longitudinally extending axis to a comfortable position. It is another object of the invention to provide stirrups that have a range of rotation in each direction to accommodate virtually every rider. It is another object of the invention to provide stirrups that look like standard stirrups and rotate to the most comfortable position. It is another object of the invention to provide stirrups that can rotate and be adapted to most standard stirrups.